“Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat down by the well…” (John 4:6).
Jesus grew tired, so don’t be surprised if you do, too.
Jesus needed rest and wanted a little solitude, and you and I are no different.
Give yourself permission to be human, friend.
As for me, it’s Monday night and I’m tired.
How did I get this way? Take the last few days, for instance. Last Thursday, I drove to Biloxi, MS and sketched that evening and Friday morning for a convention. Then, I drove on to Mobile and spent the night with my son’s family. Saturday, drove 300 miles into North Alabama where I spent the evening sketching at a graduation party for the granddaughter of some classmates of mine, friends all the way back to junior high. And then, Sunday. Well, the Lord’s Day began with a 7 am men’s breakfast at a church outside Jasper, AL, followed by sketching people during Sunday School and preaching at the 11 am service. I left that church and drove 10 miles to my sister’s UMC church, arriving in time to sketch almost everyone attending a luncheon. Back at the family farmhouse, I caught a nap, then drove to my other sister’s Baptist church and sketched for an hour at their Sunday evening fellowship. Monday, I got up and drove the 400 miles home.
When a friend described a concept she has for some kind of book illustration she’s requesting, I had to say, “I am too tired to think about this at the moment. Can you have someone draw your idea and mail to me, and I’ll try to redraw it as professionally as I can.”
When you are tired, a lot of things occur….
–Saying ‘no’ becomes a necessity. The last thing you need is more burdens. The first thing you need is rest.
–The creativity goes out the window. The creative instinct needs to be protected by a circumference of solitude, quiet, and silence.
–The enthusiasm leaves.
–And so does the energy. (So, when the experts say the remedy for mind fatigue is exercise, to make the body as tired as the mind, we instinctively reject that as ridiculous.)
–You discourage easily. The slightest thing. (If you’re like me, you get grouchy.)
–You tend to overeat. Mostly, that’s because you don’t have the energy to prepare proper food.
–You don’t feel like disciplining yourself (see the above point).
–You become short-tempered with friends and even more impatient with strangers.
